William is my 5th cousin.

Lieutenant William McMaster Murdoch was born on 28th February, 1873 at 'Sunnyside,' Dalbeattie. The fourth son of Samuel Murdoch and Jeannie Muirhead.

He came to Liverpool and lived at 86 Upper Stanhope Street, which was occupied by James E Wallace, an ambulance driver, who rented furnished rooms to anybody needing cheap accommodation.

Will's cousin Captain James Cumming who died at Kippford in 1948 said that William had a great name among sailors as being the "best and smartest sailor afloat." James, who went to sea in 1892, said that just after 1902, when he was an AB -Able Bodied Seaman, he was walking down Lime Street, Liverpool, when he met a crowd of White Star Officers in their best uniforms and him in his working gear. Will shouted to him "come and have a drink Jimmy" and there he was sitting in the lounge of the Adelphi Hotel with all the swells of society and him just a common AB.

William joined the White Star after serving on sailing vessels. He served aboard the Medic and the Runic on the Australian run. Later he was transferred to the Atlantic steamers Arabic, Adriatic, Oceanic, Olympic and finally Titanic .

He was the senior officer on the bridge the 'Titanic' when it struck a iceberg in the North Atlantic on the night of April the 15, 1912 at the speed of 20 knots. To some extent, after the sinking, William became a scapegoat for the disaster. However, a careful examination of the facts appear to indicate otherwise.

He died aged 39 in the sinking and his body was never recovered. At Dalbeattie town hall there is a memorial to William.

For more information on William please also visit Susanne Störmer's web site dedicated to William McMaster Murdoch. Susanne has also written a book about William called 'William McMaster Murdoch, A Career at Sea'."

http://www.william-mcmaster-murdoch.org/

The Murdoch's are related to Glencaple, Dumfriesshire and Liverpool ship-owners, Lowden and Edgar and J&J Rae through marriage and also related to Captain Thompson, Wilson, Cumming, Thorburn, Halliday, McMaster and Gibson.

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